A conventional inflated game ball has a central inflated black rubber bladder which is covered by a winding of natural or synthetic filaments. As an alternative to a wound bladder, a durable, synthetic non-wound carcass can be employed which is molded from a polymeric material. The carcass or wound bladder is covered with a leather or rubber cover formed from natural or synthetic materials.
Rubber covers for basketballs typically are formed from orange tinted styrene butadiene rubber or natural rubber, both of which are sulfur cured materials. These rubber covers are opaque, and the orange color of the balls is rather dull as a result of the sulfur curing. Thus, basketballs of this type have limited visibility at dusk, and therefore are disadvantageous in that a difficulty in accurately perceiving the exact location and/or speed of the ball in flight can result in injury to a player, particularly at an advanced level of play.
Vinyl basketballs have been produced which have substantially brighter coloring than the synthetic or natural rubber covered basketballs. However, vinyl basketballs are inferior to rubber basketballs in gripability or tackiness as well as scuff resistance, and therefore are considered to be of lower quality.